China Huadian begins working on 19.24 GW wind-solar-coal-storage project

China Huadian has started building a 19.24 GW wind-solar-coal-storage project in China's Qinghai province. The $11 billion project will deliver 36.5 TWh of electricity per year to Guangxi province.

China Huadian Corp. has begun construction on China’s largest and highest-altitude integrated energy base in Golmud, Qinghai province. The project, with a total investment of about CNY 80 billion ($11 billion), will feature the country’s highest share of renewable capacity in a hybrid energy system designed to export power across provinces.

The project will have a total installed capacity of 19.24 GW, with wind and solar making up 85% of that capacity. The wind and photovoltaic installations will cover about 3,000 square kilometers of arid, saline, and rocky terrain. While Huadian has not disclosed the exact breakdown, an industry source told pv magazine that the renewable capacity will exceed 14 GW.

To balance fluctuations from intermittent renewables, the project will include a large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS), typically 10-15% of the renewable capacity, along with four 660 MW ultra-supercritical coal units approved by the Qinghai Development and Reform Commission.

These plants will feature indirect air-cooling, wet flue gas desulfurization, and denitrification systems, supported by a dedicated railway line and a 750 kV substation. The thermal component is expected to cost CNY 11.5 billion.

State Grid Corp. of China is developing an ±800 kV ultra-high-voltage (UHV) direct current transmission line, the “Qinghai-Guangxi UHV DC Project,” to transmit power with an 8 GW capacity. The project will annually supply 36.5 TWh of clean energy to Guangxi, alleviating regional power shortages and meeting 14% of the province's 2024 electricity needs.

Huadian said it aims to complete the project by 2027, following a synchronized development approach that integrates renewable generation, dispatchable capacity, and transmission infrastructure.

The energy base will also serve as a national research platform, focusing on integrated energy systems, multi-energy complementarity, and digital applications in large-scale energy hubs. Additional research will target desertification control and ecological restoration, supporting China’s sustainability and environmental goals.